Coney Island Theater

Interwar buildings recall Coney Island’s era as a family-friendly destination. Landmarks unanimously designated the Coney Island Theater at 1301 Surf Avenue and the Childs Restaurant Building at 1208 Surf Avenue as individual City landmarks. Landmarks held public hearings on both buildings in March 2010, and designated the Coney Island Theater on December 14, 2010 and the Childs Restaurant Building on January 11, 2011. Both buildings are within the area recently rezoned as part of the City’s Coney Island redevelopment plan. 6 CityLand 104 (Aug. 15, 2009).

The firm of Reilly & Hall built the Coney Island Theater in 1925. The seven-story neo-Renaissance Revival building was leased to Loew’s theater chain, which retained control of the theater until 1964. Later occupants included a live theatre, a burlesque revue, a gay bar, and a bingo hall. The building is currently vacant. According to Landmarks, the theater’s elegant design was meant to convey legitimacy to a place that was transforming from a “seedy” area into a wholesome, family-oriented destination. (read more…)